1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to air field indicators. More specifically, the invention is a portable lighting device useful for assisting an aircraft in locating an emergency landing site.
2. Description of the Related Art
It is common to use helicopters for evacuation of injured persons from the site of a major catastrophe (e.g., vehicle accident, fire, train derailment, skiing accident, etc.). In addition, helicopters are widely used in many other types of search, rescue and retrieval operations, such as locating persons lost in the wild and transporting those persons when they have been located by a rescue party. However, the most common element in any situation involving a helicopter during evacuation or rescue is the difficulty of landing in unknown areas. Landing sites must be established for the landing and take-off of helicopters, and their location must be clearly marked. This allows for the safety of the helicopter, the helicopter crew, and most of all the safety of the person or persons being rescued. Thus there is a need for establishing and clearly marking a landing site. The present application addresses this need.
Many attempts have been made to provide a helicopter with an adequate source of landing site indication. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,539,986, issued Nov. 10, 1970 to Crawford, discloses a portable landing zone having a frame made of pipes, and a plurality of lights and flags on the frame. While the Crawford system is portable, it requires a inordinate amount of time to set up the landing zone. Such time may be the difference in survival of an individual.
Other examples of prior art are U.S. Pat. No. 4,827,245, issued May 2, 1989 to Lipman, which discloses a portable, multi-element strobe lighting system for providing portable highway control. U.S. Pat. No. 5,109,322, issued Apr. 28, 1992 to Loughlin, discloses a firefighters' safety beacon. U.S. Pat. No. 5,521,595, issued May 28, 1996 to Totten, et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 5,559,510, issued Sep. 24, 1996 to Strong III, et al., each disclose an illumination device having a vertically standing lighting member and a base member, for hazard warning or navigational illumination. U.S. Pat. No. 5,685,421 issued to Gilmore discloses similar vertical light standing features wherein the light is fixed to a tool box for vertical manipulation.
U.S. Patents issued to Maglica et al. (U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,121,308 and 5,836,672) discloses a miniature rechargeable flashlight which utilizes a dual switch mechanism for activating and deactivating the flashlight, respectively. A miniature two or three cell flashlight comprises a barrel, a tailcap, a head assembly and a lamp or bulb support. An interruptible electrical coupling formed by the switch mechanisms connects to the dry cell batteries with recharging capabilities made via conductors mounted in the tailcap.
Additionally, U.S. Pat. No. 5,627,513, issued May 6, 1997 to Weed, et al., discloses a portable visual emergency signal device having a triangularly shaped multi-element strobe lighting device with a detachable base. U.S. Pat. No. 5,785,410, issued Jul. 28, 1998 to Branson, Sr., discloses an electronic road beacon for alerting on-coming traffic to a potentially hazardous roadway condition. The device is designed for resisting impact by road vehicles. Canadian Patent Document No. 1,062,677, published Sep. 18, 1979, shows a telescoping illumination type device. Great Britain Patent Document No. 1,256,639, published Dec. 8, 1971, shows an emergency light having a semicircular base form maintaining the light above the ground. Great Britain Patent Document No. 1,437,111, published May 26, 1976, shows an illuminated waterway navigational aid.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singularly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed. Thus a portable emergency landing area lighting device for helicopters solving the aforementioned problems is desired.